


KILLING GAMES SUCK

by hangedGraphite (paragonGamer)



Category: Dangan Ronpa
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Blood, Cannibalism, Gen, Gore, Language Barrier, Murder, Rating may go up, Suicide, The End of the world, i mean nobody really catches on for a while (in story), i swear i will fucking finish this thing even if its the last thing i do, i used google translate so feel free to point out any mistakes, kind of, like only one person finds out and they die right after so, now with images!, slight pmmm crossover, totally-not-obvious-magical-girl, translations are provoded in-story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-04
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2018-03-28 22:24:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 15,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3871963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paragonGamer/pseuds/hangedGraphite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Angela Scott is invited to Hopes Peak Academy as a Super High School Level Horror Game Enthusiast. Things do not go well, especially since there's a language barrier, a murder game, and no way out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. This is a pretty self-indulgent fic about some stupid oc getting mixed up in the first Dangan Ronpa game, so feel free to ignore if you don't like that kind of thing. This fic also serves as characterization practice for Togami, so please point out any mistakes I have made and how to fix them, so I can fix them and learn how to avoid them in the future. There will be NO OC/Canon, and if you think there is, that's wrong. Relationships are NOT the main focus of this fic, since I highly doubt people would be concerned about that in a killing game.
> 
> I will be using Google translate in order to do the Japanese lines (The canon characters will speak in Japanese since it is their first language, Togami only speaks in English because he is the most likely candidate to know the language in the first place) so if you can find any mistakes in the translation I'd appreciate having it pointed out.
> 
> I've already done up to chapter eight, so expect multiple updates in a row. Probably won't update as fast as this for a while though.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Edit 11/20/2017: I fixed all of the male pronouns, as I realized that I accidentally left them all as "watashi" inatead of changing the male's speech to reflect their usage of male pronouns! So now, they all say "boku" in places where I know how to actually fix the pronoun usage without fucking up the whole word. Stuff like "watashitachi" i didn't touch cuz i don't want to fuck it up. Might fix this later, when I know how to fix it properly.

"What do you wish for?"  
  
"I'm sorry?"  
  
"I asked you what you wish for."  
  
The white ferret-like creature spoke, its eyes and mouth unmoving. The girl, with plain orange hair and bright blue eyes thought it through, then spoke.  
  
"I have a wish, but...is there a catch to this?"  
  
"I suppose you could call it that. In return for me granting you a wish, you have to fight beings called witches and save the world from their poisonous despair as a magical girl." the creature replied, swishing it's tail back and forth.  
  
The orange-haired girl nodded, and said:  
  
"Alright. I'll do it. Grant me my wish, Kyuubey!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Where...am I?"  
  
Angela Scott woke up on a desk, drool hanging limply from her mouth. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve and shook her head to clear her head to clear her mind, then looked around the room.  
One thing the girl noted was that there were metal plates covering...windows, maybe? As well as a camera and monitor in opposite corners in the front of the room.  
  
"Strange, I wonder if...wait! That's right! I'm at Hope's Peak Academy!" Angela blurted out, eyes widening in realization of this fact.  
All her life, Angela never imagined that something as simple as being a horror game enthusiast (which what her title was, coincidentally) would be noticed by a school like Hope's Peak. Especially since she was from America, too!  
  
But, nevertheless, she got a letter from said school (that was most likely translated) which offered her a place in the student body AND free lessons in Japanese as well.  
  
After all, she was going to a Japanese school.  
  
Angela hastily accepted the letter and packed her bags for Japan, getting in a few basic lessons so she would understand at least some stuff in advance. But, embarrassingly enough, Angela fainted right inside the gates to the school and was obviously carried inside.  
  
"What a way to start your first day of school, huh, Angela?" She muttered to herself, closing her eyes tight in shame. The girl then decided to look around a bit more, just to get a feel of the place. On her way to the door, however, she noticed a piece of paper that lay on the desk she had previously been sleeping on.  
  
Angela walked over to it, picked it up, and studied it.  
 One side was in Japanese, the other was in English. The pamphlet read:  
  
  
"Hello, you bastards! Welcome to your first day of school! Please, go to the entrance hall and wait there with your fellow classmates for further instructions! Also, try not to sleep *too* late, otherwise you'll be punished!!  
So, basically, be there by 8:00 and you'll be OK. Toodles!  
  
-Your Headmaster."  
  
  
The messy scrawl of the note in what seemed to be crayon seemed to be weird enough ("Why not use a pencil or pen?" the girl wondered), but the notion of being called a "bastard" by the headmaster?! That made Angela feel a bit more off than she already did about the situation. But, rules were rules, and she did NOT want to be late on her first day on top of fainting.  
  
Looking at the clock above the blackboard ("That's a really nice clock, geez."), she saw it was 7:50 already, so she had to find the entrance hall quickly. Leaving the pamphlet behind, Angela Scott took her very first steps into hell.


	3. Chapter 3

"Entrance hall...Entrance hall...Ah, there!" Angela walked over to the doorway that was labeled as the entrance, and opened the doors to let herself through. What greeted her eyes was a set of fourteen students that all looked...well, talented, if she had to use a word.  
  
There was a man in a black coat with some sort of corncob hair (Angela wasn't even sure that was a thing until now) yelling at another boy in a white military uniform of some sort, a strawberry blonde-haired girl that Angela would recognize anywhere socializing with a well muscled-man in a...sailor outfit? What?  
  
Speaking of which, said man was now looking at her. As was the rest of the class.  
  
Oh.  
  
Angela stammered out a few words in English (which they probably didn't even know, damn it) when another boy, this time with blonde hair and glasses (was that a _tux?_ ) stepped forward.  
  
"Hatsugen."  
  
"I...I don't speak..."  
  
"Oh, you don't? Then what was the point of even coming here?" The blonde said, this time speaking the girl's native language, which surprised her a bit.  
  
  
"Um...I was invited to Hope's Peak...Th-they were going to offer me free courses in Japanese..."  
  
"They wouldn't offer them beforehand? Sounds like poor planning to me. How did you even manage to find your way here?"  
  
"I took some basic courses, so I only know a little...um...sorry..."  
"You don't need to apologize for something you can't control, you simpleton. I suppose that, since you came to this school, you are a Super High School Level student? What is your title?"  
  
"I'm a...uh...S-Super High School Level...um...Horror Game Enthusiast...I guess I should tell you my name too? It's...Angela...Angela Scott...I...I'm kind of your average joe other than that...sorry."  
"Again, don't apologize. It's useless."  
  
The boy turned to the others, and repeated what Angela said to him in Japanese, acting as her translator, then turned back.  
  
"Well, aren't you going to get introductions out of the way? I've already done *your* part, which I guess couldn't be helped, but since everyone else already knows each other, you may as well socialize with the peasants, too."  
  
"But...I still can't speak-"  
  
"Did you seriously think I was going to let you go on your own? No, since no other idiot has any knowledge of English, I may as well translate for you. Can't have a classmate who doesn't understand what everyone else is saying, you know. I'm going to teach you Japanese as well so I don't have to get stuck with you forever, though. It would be unbearable for me if I had to stay by some peasant's side for the entire school year, seeing as there aren't any teachers around in the meantime to do the job for me. Our first lesson will be at lunch. Do you understand?"  
  
"A-ah! Yes sir!"  
  
"Thank you. Getting back on topic, I may as well introduce myself first. I am Byakuya Togami, heir to the Togami Conglomerate. Coincidentally, I also bear the title of Super High School Level Heir."  
  
  
Togami then led her around the room, introducing Angela to her other classmates. In her opinion, most of them seemed nice enough, but some of them could prove to be rather annoying, if Togami's translations were able to carry such a trait over.  
For example, she was rather drawn to Aoi Asahina, the Super High School Level Swimmer's bubbly personality, but was rather put off by Ishimaru Kyotaka's strong determination that basically radiated off of him.  
  
After she was introduced to Sayaka Maizono, the Super High School Level Idol, Angela noticed there were two people left - one with what seemed to be paint all over her jeans and part of her polo shirt, talking to another boy that was wearing a black apron with...steel toed boots? Why?  
  
Speaking of which, Angela seemed to have caught the attention of said steel-toed male.  
"Kon'nichiwa! Boku wa Usagi Hitoshi wa, chō kōkō reberu no Kajiyadesu! Anata no namae wa nanidesu ka?"  
"He said his name is Usagi Hitoshi, the Super High School Level Blacksmith. Kanojo wa anjerasukotto, horāgēmu no mo, chō kōkō reberu o yūsuru. There, now you're both introduced. Moving on."  
  
Unfortunately, before Togami could introduce Angela to the last person, the monitor hanging from the wall (She noticed it just now, actually) crackled to life. What appeared on the screen seemed to be some sort of outline...Angela couldn't exactly tell what it was.  
But what it said, even though the girl couldn't understand it, chilled her to the bone.  
  
"Ē to... Maiku tesuto ! Maiku tesuto ! Nanideare, watashi wa anata ga ko no subete o tonikaku kiku koto ga dekiru to kakushin shite imasu. Kaikai-shiki no tame ni jimu ni anata no hōhō o kakuninshitekudasai!"  
The monitor then shut off, leaving the room with an unpleasant atmosphere. The voice on the monitor sounded almost happy, from what the foreigner could tell, and her classmates seemed unsettled as well.  
  
As the other Super High School Levels conversed with each other, Angela stood there, pondering what the shadow could have been. It didn't *look* human, but it couldn't have been an animal, either. For one, animals don't talk, but...  
  
Angela had played enough horror games to tell that this wouldn't turn out good, as her current situation was starting to look more and more like one.  
  
Whatever happened, however, Angela was sure they would be okay. After all, this had to be some sort of prank. But...if this was a prank, why was she feeling so scared?  
  
STUDENTS LEFT:  
15/15  
Makoto Naegi  
Kyouko Kirigiri  
Byakuya Togami  
Junko Enoshima  
Aoi Asahina  
Sakura Oogami  
Mondo Oowada

Kyotaka Ishimaru  
Leon Kuwata  
Chihiro Fujisaki  
Celestia Ludenberg  
Sayaka Maizono  
Angela Scott  
???  
Hitoshi Usagi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> 1\. "Speak up." - Byakuya Togami  
> 2\. "Hello! My name is Usagi Hitoshi! I'm the Super High School Level Blacksmith. What's your name?" - Hitoshi Usagi  
> 3\. Monokuma's opening speech in the Entrance Hall. Basically telling the cast to go to the gym.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of skipped over a bit of stuff, I think, but it gets fixed (somewhat, not really) later on. I'll edit the chapter later.
> 
> Edit 12/20/15: I fixed an issue with Monokuma's introduction, which I've been meaning to do but procrastinating on. Sorry that took so long. I don't know if I put the correction in the right place, but if I haven't, please tell me. Thank you!

"We're going to the gym. Come on."  
Byakuya said, walking past the Angela. She nodded, and followed the SHSL Heir and the other students that were going with him. Some of them stayed behind, chatting with each other (possibly about what was going on? The girl didn't know).  
  
As she made her way to the Gymnasium, Angela noticed the tense air surrounding the group. It was natural, she supposed, as they had all had fainted mysteriously and then woke up inside the school, surrounded by metal plates and a large steel door blocking their entrance. It was all too weird.  
  
"Maybe we're mixed up in something bad..." she whispered to herself, eyes trained slightly downward. Looking up again, she noticed that there were a large pair of doors standing in her way, and opened them.  
  
Inside, there seemed to be a large trophy room, decorated in red and gold. She spied glass cases on her left and right, decorated with trophies (of course.) In the bottom middle of one case though, she noticed a golden sword of sorts. Maybe a katana? Either way, it looked too extravagant to be real.  
  
'Moving on...' Angela thought, going over to the second pair of doors and opening them.  
  
The inside of the gym floor was made of golden colored wood, with white walls and a stage-like thing in the back with a red podium bearing the Hope's Peak Academy symbol in white. Behind the podium was a large painting of a Bonsai tree, it's bright green leaves protruding from it's thick, light brown branches.  
  
Scattered on the floor were numerous basketballs and volleyballs, along with brown-colored trapezoids set up in random spaces. The bleachers on either sides were colored in blue, but, as with the rest of the school, they were empty of people. It started to look like they were really the only ones there.  
  
As the other students filed in, Angela walked over to the bleachers and sat down in them, reaching inside her jacket pocket the get out her phone and play some games she had on it.  
  
She paused suddenly, reaching around her pocket more then standing up and patting herself down.  
  
"Where...where is my phone?" She asked herself, before going wide eyed in realization.  
"Did...did the kidnapper take my phone?"  
"Scott-san, what's wrong?" Angela looked up and saw Byakuya standing over her, eyes narrowed in annoyance (hadn't they always been like that, though, since she got here?). The foreigner quickly explained the situation to him, and he called out to everyone to check their pockets for anything that may have been there.  
  
The students were confused at first, but that confusion quickly turned to panic as they came to the same conclusion as her.  
  
Any and all devices that could be used to contact the outside world were gone from their bodies.  
  
The boy Angela was introduced to as Mondo Oowada yelled out, "Dono yōna jigoku! Sore wa doko ni itta no?" And started to look around the room wildly, as if looking for a target. As Angela watched, she noticed Leon Kuwata looking up, and screaming out in confusion. He stammered something incomprehensible (as if she could know what he was saying anyway) and pointed at the stage.  
  
Naturally, everyone looked at said stage, and more wild yells of confusion sounded out through the room. Standing on the red podium was a teddy bear of some sort, half of it pure white and the other a pitch black. It had some sort of red scar for an eye on the black side, while on the opposite it had a button eye. Despite being mostly two toned, the belly and the muzzle of the toy bear were white, as well as the creepy-looking grin on the darker side of the face.  
  
When everyone finally calmed down, there was a short pause before someone asked,  
"Nani...?"  
  
The bear suddenly stood up at the statement, pointing at itself and talking in a high pitched, cutesy voice.  
"Ā, soko ni watashitachi wa iku, anata wa saishūtekini sakende kanryōdesu. Sate sate, kono Jō o shōkai shite imasu. * Ehen* watashi wa Monokuma, Kibōgamine Gakuen no kōchō o shite imasu. Imanotokoro, anata no jinsei no nokori no tame ni kono gakkō ni taizai suru yoteidesu! Shikashi, shinpaishinaidekudasai, anata no taizai no tame ni hitsuyōna dengen wa bugendaidesu! Anata ga kyōdō seikatsu yōshiki kara wa ninshiki sa renaku narimasu, nani mo zettai ni arimasen! Anata ga hontōni kono basho o hanaretakunai baai demo, hōhō ga aru!"  
  
"What did he say...?"  
"He basically said that his name is Monokuma, he is the headmaster, and we're going to stay here for the rest of our lives. Apparently there's a catch to this though, he's about to say it in a second." Byakuya spoke swiftly, frowning at the notion of having to stay in a school forever. Angela nodded, understanding that this was no normal situation that they were in.  
  
In fact, it was starting to look like something you would see in a book, or a movie. There's still no way this could have been real, and yet it was happening in front of her very eyes.  
  
"Anata ga nokoshite okitai baai wa,-betsu no seito o korosu tame ni motte iru. Shōmei moete, hasai dekishi, sasu, watashi wa anata ga sore o okonau hōhō kinishinai. Tada seito o korosu to, sore ni nigeru, anata wa kogane noda!"  
More panicked yells came out from this statement, so the horror gamer had no doubt their demand would be something bad.  
  
"He said that if we want to escape, we have to kill someone."  
  
_(Fuck.)_  
  
STUDENTS LEFT:  
15/15  
Makoto Naegi  
Kyouko Kirigiri  
Byakuya Togami  
Junko Enoshima  
Aoi Asahina  
Sakura Oogami  
Mondo Oowada  
Kyotaka Ishimaru  
Leon Kuwata  
Chihiro Fujisaki  
Celestia Ludenberg  
Sayaka Maizono  
Angela Scott  
???  
Hitoshi Usagi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> 1\. "Hey, who the hell took my phone? You're gonna pay!" - Mono Oowada (from memory)  
> 2\. "Ah, now that everyone's done screaming, we can begin. *Ahem* I am Monokuma, Hope Peak's Academy headmaster. As of today, you will be staying here for the rest of your lives! However, if you want to get out, there is one way!" - Monokuma (last bit from memory)  
> 3\. "In order to escape, you have to kill another student. I don't care how you do it, at least one dead body is enough for me!" - Monokuma (from memory)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really sucky, I'm going to edit it later.

"K-kill someone? Are you serious? There's no way that anyone would-"  
"That anyone would, or that anyone could?"  
A chill went through Angela's spine at those words. There's no way this guy would actually doubt someone of being able to do such a thing, right? But then again...  
"You...have a point...but we're still teenagers for Pete's sake! If one of us did kill someone, they still have the rest of their lives to carry the burden of doing so! Nobody would want to have to do that, right? I mean...it's unthinkable."  
"I suppose that's true. But then again, we're super high school levels. We were born to be the best at what we can do, and achieve greater things that way. If someone were to block that greatness, to block the progression of the only thing you were good at, wouldn't you be desperate to do something about it?"  
  
Angela paused. Yet again, the Heir had a point, and even she was unable to deny it. After all, there was that one incident before...  
_(No, don't think about that. It will only make things worse.)_  
"I still don't want to believe that anyone would--could--do such a thing."  
"Fine, be ignorant of the situatio-"  
"But that doesn't mean I don't think you're right. Humans...are fragile beings, and, like you said, if someone were stopped from being able to do the only thing they were good at, such as...let's say...working with animals, then they would probably do anything to have that back."  
"I thought so."  
  
Byakuya smirked, his smug attitude returning _(as if it had gone anywhere)_. He stepped off the bleachers then, motioning for Angela to follow, and walked over to the group. The girl hesitated, then walked after him, going back into her thoughts.  
  
_(What should I do? I mean, Byakuya's right, I can't overlook the possibility of a death, but I don't want to have to think about it, either. And...there's still the whole language barrier. How will I communicate to any of my other classmates if we don't even share the same language?)_  
  
Something rammed right into her side, causing her to fall backwards onto the floor. Angela panicked, looking up and then-  
  
"Oi! Daijōbudesuka? Uwa a, watashi wa Naegi-kun wa sono yō na anata ni ochita nante shinji rarenai."  
  
A hand was outstretched to her, and the horror game enthusiast took it gently. Pulling her up, Angela noticed that the paint-splattered girl from before had pulled her up.  
  
"Sono itadaki, arigatōgozaimasu." She replied, patting down her olive skirt. The red-head looked confused, then smiled.  
  
"Nē, nē, nani no shinpai mo naku! Anata no namae wa migi, anjerasukotto nodesu ka? Watashi wa Yui Suzukidakedo, sore wa anata o mitasu tame ni yorokobidesu! Anata ni wa, ikutsu ka o shitte iru gen tte, naze anata wa izen ni nihongo o hanasenakatta nodesu ka?"  
  
"U-umm..."  
  
"Kanojo wa sukoshidake o shitte iru. Demo, watakushiha yori ōku no kanojo o oshieru tsumoridesu. She said that her name is Yui Suzuki, in case you didn't catch that. She's the Super High School Level Painter, hence the dirtiness of her clothes."  
"A-ah...thank you, Togami-kun."  
"Doesn't matter. We still need to adress the main issue here. Boku ga itte ita yō ni, anata wa subete o kakuninshitekudasai dareka ga shinken ni kono yōna jōkyō o toru tsumori wanaidesu ka? Boku wa, wareware ga denai hōhō de, gakkō no naka ni tojikomete iru, imi. Boku wa, wareware ga hanasu yō ni, darekaga michi o keikaku shite iru, sukunakutomo kakushin shite imasu."  
  
A silence came after Byakuya's words, everyone studying everyone else suspiciously. However, it wasn't long before someone broke it:  
  
"Sate, watashitachiha ichinichijū, matawa dono yōna otagai o mitsumete koko ni tatte suru tsumoridesu ka?" Kyouko Kirigiri spoke with sharp words, her glare snapping everyone out of their daze. A few of Angela's classmates murmured their assent, and ended up turning to each other and forming groups after a few moments. Not knowing who to go with, Angela decided to go explore on her own. Makoto ended up fainting from a punch from Mondo before she left, leaving Leon and Sayaka to carry him to his room.  
  
As Angela expolred the school, one thing came even more apparent: There really was no way out. The foreigner looked high and low, but there was no escape route avalible. After a few more hours of walking, she decided to head back to the cafeteria to get something to eat.  
  
Opening the doors next to the glowing, blue-colored knife and fork symbol, it seemed that all of her other classmates, sans Kyouko, had decided to show up as well.  
  
Thankfully, it seemed Makoto was there as well, looking a lot better from his rest (At least, that what she assumed happened, he didn't look bandaged at all). There didn't seem to be much more room at the main table, so Angela decided to pull up a chair at one of the neighboring tables close by after getting some food.  
  
Sitting down, she overheard some chatter from her classmates as they ate.  
"Ōi, naegi-kun, anata wa kakushin shite anata wa daijōbu o yatte iru?"  
"Sore wa, Ōwada-kun daijōbudesu. Boku wa yatto mō sore o kanjiru koto ga dekiru."  
"Tonikaku, watashitachiha, kaigi no ue ni shutoku suru hitsuyō ga arimasu! Daremoga, anata ga anata no chōsa kara eru koto ga dekita mono o oshie!"  
"Ē to... Watashitachi ga imamade koko kara nogareru koto ga dekinai to iu jijitsu igai ni mo?"  
"Sō hitei-tekina koto wa arimasen, Junko-chan! Watashitachiha hōhō o mitsukerudarou to kakushin shite iru!"  
"Angela."  
Jolted out of her thoughts, Angela looked up to see Byakuya staring down at her.  
"...Yeah?"  
"Why are you stabbing your hand with your fork."  
"...What?"  
As the Heir helplessly gestured to her hand, the horror enthusiast looked down and saw that, indeed, her fork was going through her hand.  
"Oh."  
"Just 'oh?'"  
"I didn't realize I was doing that."  
"Are you going to stare at it some more or will you clean that up."  
"Sure. Just a moment."  
  
Taking out the fork and nabbing a few napkins, the girl quickly raced to the girls bathroom. Byakuya sighed, pushing up his glasses a bit.  
"I still can't believe she didn't notice the fork going through her hand. How did she even manage to _do_ that?" He muttered to himself, going to sit back down at his own table.  
  
As the foreigner opened the doors, she bumped into Kyouko, falling down yet again. She muttered an apology and dusted herself off, resuming her course once more.  
  
"Dono yōna koto subete ni tsuitedeshita?" The purple-haired woman asked herself, walking over to the main table and setting down some paper.  
"Kokode wa, kono furoa no mappu. Watashi wa zan'nen'nagara, sonohoka no jōhō o mitsukeru koto ga dekimasendeshita."  
"Tsumari, imanotokoro wa jūbunda. Daremoga nanika o hakken shita?" Kyotaka remarked, looking around at his classmates. Nobody said anything. Chihiro Fujisaki then spoke up after the pause.  
"Wareware wa mada nigemichi o mitsukete inai. Oshietekudasai, watashitachi wa hontōni... Koko ni tojikome rarete iru?"  
  
"Sore wa sō to omowa reru. Watashitachi wa sonogo, 1 yori ōku no sentakushi ga nokosa rete iru: Tekiō sa seru koto." Celestia Ludenberg spoke, a small smile forming on her lips. As all eyes turned on her, She proceeded to explain.  
  
An extra nighttime rule was made as well, and everyone agreed to follow it. After everyone finished eating and threw out their paper plates and plastic utensils, Angela had come back, a small wad of paper towel tied around her palm. Fortunately, the cut didn't seem to have bled very much, as there was no visible blood seeping through.  
  
Noticing everyone getting up to throw away said empty plates, the girl walked over to Byakuya to ask what she had missed.  
  
"Nothing much at all," He stated, "We just made and extra rule and confirmed that we are stuck here. If you're wondering what that rule is, it is to not wander about during nighttime."  
"Ah, thank you, Togami-kun. Um, pardon me if this is a stupid question, but..."  
"But what?"  
"Um...I..."  
"Spit it out."  
"I was just wondering...oh, never mind. I'll go explore some more-"  
"I hope you didn't forget about our lesson."  
"O-oh! That, yeah. Where should we..."  
"Here. Now sit down." Byakuya motioned to the table, sitting down in one of the chairs. Angela sat opposite of him, scooting up to the table so said chair didn't stick out too much.  
  
"Now, how much do you already now?"  
"J-just the formal apologies, thank-you's, greetings, and how to ask for directions."  
"So you at least know some. Alright, we'll start with..."  
  
While Byakuya taught Angela some more words and phrases of his native language, a certain monochrome bear made plans for the first motive.  
  
STUDENTS LEFT:  
15/15  
Makoto Naegi  
Kyouko Kirigiri  
Byakuya Togami  
Junko Enoshima  
Aoi Asahina  
Sakura Oogami  
Mondo Oowada  
Kyotaka Ishimaru  
Leon Kuwata  
Chihiro Fujisaki  
Celestia Ludenberg  
Sayaka Maizono  
Angela Scott  
Yui Suzuki  
Hitoshi Usagi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> 1\. "Hey, are you alright? I can't believe Naegi-kun bumped into you like that." - Yui Suzuki  
> 2\. "I'm sorry, thank you." - Angela Scott  
> 3\. "Angela Scott, right? I am Yui Suzuki, Super High School Level painter! By the way, why didn't you speak in Japanese earlier?" - Yui Suzuki (last bit from memory somewhat)  
> 4\. "She only knows a little. I'm mostly translating for her." - Byakuya Togami (from memory)  
> 5\. "So, the point I was trying to make earlier is, it doesn't matter if we say nobody is going to kill, it's that if somebody did actually take those words seriously or not." - Byakuya Togami (mostly from memory)  
> 6\. "So? Are you all going to stand here doing nothing?" - Kyouko Kirigiri  
> 7\. "Oi, Naegi-kun, you sure you're doing okay?" - Mondo Oowada  
> 8\. "It's fine, Oowada-kun. I can barely feel it anymore." - Makoto Naegi  
> 9\. "Anyway, we need to get onto the meeting! Everyone, tell us what you were able to get from your investigations!" - Kyotaka Ishimaru  
> 10\. "Um...besides the fact that we can't ever escape from here?" - Junko Enoshima  
> 11\. "Don't be so negative, Junko-chan! I'm sure we will find a way!"  
> 12\. "What was that all about?" - Kyouko Kirigiri  
> 13\. "Here, a map of this floor. I couldn't find any other information, unfortunately." - Kyouko Kirigiri  
> 14\. "That's enough for now. Has anyone else found anything?" - Kyotaka Ishimaru  
> 15\. "We still haven't found an escape route. Don't tell me, we're really trapped in here...?" - Chihiro Fujiskai  
> 16\. "It seems so. We only have one more choice left, then: to adapt." Celestia Ludenberg


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No translations for this chapter.

"I can't believe I slipped up again. This has to be like, what, the fifth time I accidentally did something like that today? Yeah, must be. I really gotta get better a this, huh?"  
  
...  
  
"Ha ha, I know, right? But jeez, their reaction was really crazy, you know?"  
  
...  
  
"Okay, okay, I understand. I'll be more careful. After all, I can't let my secret get out, right? It'll just be more work for you."  
  
...  
  
"You don't have to remind me. That one incident was enough to almost blow my cover away entirely in front of them. And it's not like I have any way to explain why I chose that wish. Or what witches are. Or the whole "magical girl" thing in general. Ugh, it would be too complicated. That's why I've got you to watch my back, right?"  
  
...  
  
"I was just kidding. Jeez, you must be fun at parties. Anyway, I'm going to go to sleep now. G'night, Kyuubey!"


	7. Chapter 7

More days had passed since Angela's first lesson, the routine of looking for clues and getting Japanese lessons at lunch becoming repetitive. She was able to hold a small conversation with some of the students by this point, as practice, but the girl still had more to learn.  
  
At the lunch period of the fourth day, Angela was practicing talking with Yui Suzuki, as per Byakuya's request. The painter was happy to help her understand her native language, and used simpler words whenever Angela had a confused look on her face.  
  
"<I'm really glad nobody has been murdered yet,>" said the paint-stained girl, a relieved smile forming on her face.  
"<Yeah, same here.>"  
"<It seems there's hope for us after all, you know?>"  
  
"Watashi wa, anata ga kibō o hanashite shirimashita ka? Watashi wa anata ga subete no ima, zetsubōdearu koto ni natte ita to omotta! Watashi wa, anata ga satsujin igai wa kesshite motte gakkō no naka ni tojikomete iru wake de, soko ni ima dewa karadadeatte wa naranai?"  
The voice of Monokuma rang out in the air, and everyone searched for the source. There, at the end of the table, was said two-toned bear, his arms crossed and unhappy-looking...if his smiling face could be counted as unhappy. (It just looked a certain way sometimes, you know?)  
  
"<Monokuma! Why are you here?>" Mondo yelled, cracking his knuckles in preparation to hit him.  
"Ā! Ā! Kōchō ni taisuru bōryoku wa rūru ihandesu!" The bear said, waving his arms rapidly up and down.  
Mondo grit his teeth, and raised his arm in the air, then-  
"Ōwada-kun! Anata wa sore o yatte mitai anata wa yoroshīdesu ka? Kare wa futatabi bakuhatsu nan baai, boku wa, imidesu ka? Sore wa kinō okotta, amarini mo, oboete iru?" Kyotaka said, running over to the other boy.  
"Tch! Fain. Boku wa anata ga watashinokao ni bakuha motte irukeredomo, anata ni tsuitachi o hitto shi, shinaidarou koto o chikau."  
  
"Tonikaku, watashi wa kangaete ita. Dare mo satsujin o okashite inainode, tabun watashi wa anata no subete ga sō suru tame no hōhō o kangaedasu hitsuyō ga arimasu!"  
  
"<Huh?> Dōki no shashin?" Aoi wondered, crossing her arms in thought. Monokuma "nodded", giving the swimmer a thumbs up.  
  
"Migi O! Sate, A/ V rūmu de anata o matte odoroki ga arimasu! Upupupu..." And with that, the two-toned bear disappeared from sight. The people around Angela talked to each other quietly, probably discussing whatever the stupid bear said. She walked up to Togami, who was sitting away from the students, and asked him what the bear said.  
  
"He said that we needed a motive, since there haven't been any bodies lately, and that there's a 'surprise' of some sort waiting for us in the A/V room. I'm heading over there now. By myself." The taller boy said, getting up from his chair and walking over to the double-doors of the cafeteria. Angela watched him go, frowning to herself.  
  
'I wonder why he's so cold...what could have made him this way? Probably due to his status as an heir, maybe...hmm.' The horror enthusiast thought. As she looked up again, she saw that her other classmates were leaving as well. The girl followed them through the exit, and over to the A/V room.  
  
Inside, there were several screens lined up at three rows of two desks, each screen attached to sound table and headphones. There was a big screen in the back, as well as two stereo devices on either side. On top of one of the desks was a box, labeled "Motive" in English and Japanese. The same cartoony scrawl on the pamphlet Angela found when she woke up in the classroom was used for the label.  
  
'Well, let's see what he's got for me, then.' She thought, going over and grabbing her disk. There was an extra space next to Leon, so she sat there and slipped the disk in, putting on her headphones once it was in.  
  
Once she did, the horror enthusiast instantly recognized the voices of her friends. They were sitting on a bench, in the middle of the park they always hung out at. The sky was bright blue, and the grass was as green as ever. In the background, she saw people running with their dogs.  
  
"Heeey! Angela! Do good in school, okay? And don't forget to send us letters telling us all about it, alright? Don't miss any juicy detail, hahaha!"  
  
"Oi, Samantha, you're such a gossip. Oh, and don't forget to keep yourself healthy. Eat lots of protein and fruits and veggies, drink milk every day, and exercise! Even though you don't really need to do the last thing, haha."  
  
"Don't call me a gossip if you're going to be all motherly like you always are, Heather! Siiiigh. Anyway, we're rooting for you!"  
  
Angela smiled at this, but then the sound of static filled her ears and the screen cut out. When the picture came back, what she saw shocked her to the bone.  
  
There was rubble and dust everywhere, the bench split in two and blood dripping from the splintered edges. The sky was dark and clouded, and the grass was brown from not being watered. Patches were ripped up, with dirt showing through. The most horrifying thing of all though, was that her friends were nowhere to be found. All that she could see was part of an arm, left on the part of the bench where Heather was sitting moments before.  
  
"Upupupu...I wonder what happened to your friends, eh? Sure looks bad! But you know, if you ever want to find out what happened to them, there's a way to do so!" A voice rang out amidst all of the destruction, with a heavy Japanese accent. Angela didn't know what to think, her mind was in a panic. She knew what the voice would say next.  
  
"Kill someone, and you'll be able to see them again."  
  
The video cut, and all that was heard from the broken girl were choked sobs as she curled in on herself. She barely registered the scream of Sayaka Maizono, and the way Naegi Makoto ran after her. She didn't care about Kyouko Kirigiri's question to Monokuma, nor the said bear's laughter. All she cared about was getting out of there, so she may see her friends again.  
  
(I may as well give him what he wants while I still can, the sick fuck.)  
  
STUDENTS LEFT:  
15/15  
Makoto Naegi  
Kyouko Kirigiri  
Byakuya Togami  
Junko Enoshima  
Aoi Asahina  
Sakura Oogami  
Mondo Oowada  
Kyotaka Ishimaru  
Leon Kuwata  
Chihiro Fujisaki  
Celestia Ludenberg  
Sayaka Maizono  
Angela Scott  
Yui Suzuki  
Hitoshi Usagi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> "Did I hear you talking about hope? I thought you were all supposed to be in despair right now! I mean, you're trapped in a school with no way out except murder, shouldn't there be a body by now?" - Monokuma  
> "Ah! Ah! Violence against the headmaster is against the rules!" - Monokuma  
> "Oowada-kun! Are you sure you want to do that? I mean, what if he explodes again? It happened yesterday, too, remember?" - Kyotaka Ishimaru  
> "Fine. I swear that I'll hit you one day, though, and not have you blow up in my face." - Mondo Oowada  
> "Anyway, I was thinking. Since nobody has committed murder, then maybe I should come up with a way to make you all do so!" - Monokuma  
> "Like a motive?" - Aoi Asahina  
> "Right-o! Now then, there's a surprise waiting for you in the A/V room! Upupupu..." - Monokuma


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No translations for this chapter.

Chapter eight:  
  
"<N...no! Let go of me! Somebody, help!>"  
"<Don't worry, I locked the door. Oh, and the rooms are soundproof, too! Isn't that wonderful?>"  
"<Naegi-kun, help me!>"  
"<It's a bit too late for that.>"  
  
From the strength of being pinned down on the floor by her attacker, Sayaka Maizono could only scream fruitlessly as they took the knife in her hand, swinging it up and then-  
  
"<I'm just so hungry, you know?>"  
  
STUDENTS LEFT:  
14/15  
Makoto Naegi  
Kyouko Kirigiri  
Byakuya Togami  
Junko Enoshima  
Aoi Asahina  
Sakura Oogami  
Mondo Oowada  
Kyotaka Ishimaru  
Leon Kuwata  
Chihiro Fujisaki  
Celestia Ludenberg  
Angela Scott  
Yui Suzuki  
Hitoshi Usagi


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> major gore warning for this chapter, just a heads up.

Angela Scott woke up to the sound of Monokuma's morning announcement, stretching and yawning sleepily. She showered, dried herself off, and got dressed for the day, going slowly as if to still catch that remains of her dream.  
"I'd better get going, after all, we all agreed that we'd show up at the cafeteria for breakfast..." the girl murmured to herself, putting on her grey sneakers and walking out the door.  
  
As soon as she arrived in the cafeteria, Angela noticed that two people were missing: Byakuya and Sayaka. As she sat down next to Hitoshi, she asked him where they could be.  
  
"<Hm? Oh, no idea. I woke up kind of late, and only got here just a bit before you. I'm a lil' bit of a heavy sleeper, ha ha.>" The blacksmith explained, leaning back in his chair. Angela took note of how there was hardly anything on the boy's plate, keeping in mind to ask him about it later (he didn't seem to eat anything at dinner, either, for the brief moments she was there. Is he really not hungry?).  
  
At that moment, Byakuya came in, and was asked a couple of questions. Mainly things like "where were you" and "have you seen Sayaka", but as time passed Angela noticed that Makoto grew more and more nervous. Apparently, Aoi took notice too, as she asked him what was wrong.  
  
"<I've got to go check on something! Be right back!>" And with those words, Makoto darted out of the room, leaving everyone in confusion.  
  
"<Maybe he knows where Sayaka-chan is...?>" Junko suggested, looking a bit worried herself. Angela was about to ask why she looked so, when a scream pierced through the air.  
  
"<That was Naegi-kun!>"  
"<It sounded like it came from the dorms! Come on!>"  
"<Oh, I hope he's okay...>"

All of her classmates (including herself) ran into the dorm area, noticing Makoto had fainted in front of his dorm room. As soon as Angela turned the corner, she saw why.  
  
There, lying on the floor, was Sayaka Maizono. Her body was cut up and mangled as if it had been bitten and chewed by a rampaging wolf, so much blood pooled around her body as if she was floating in it. Pieces of bone and muscle and skin were littered about the floor, as if the murderer liked making a mess. Her stomach was slashed open and her intestines were lying about, ripped in places before just cutting off. Stomach acid mixed with the blood around that area as well. The idol's normally bright eyes were dull and empty, one of them actually missing from it's socket. Bodily juices and pus leaked out of the socket as well as many other openings in her skin, and a blood-crusted knife stuck out of her chest. Her bowels had emptied, urine still slowly seeping into the carpet.  
  
Needless to say, many of the students threw up.  
  
"Ding dong, ding dong! Karada ga hakken sa remashita! Mijikai chōsa kikan no ato, kurasu no toraiaru ga arudeshou! Anata wa subete no bodi o tōroku owattara ā, jimu ni kimasu." An announcement played from the speakers, Monokuma's cheery voice easily identifiable amidst the coughing and gagging students.  
  
"Seinaru kuso! Maizono-san!" Leon Kuwata was the first to speak after that, eyes tearing up as he shakily stepped forward. He collapsed on his knees, blood and urine soiling his pant legs as he was sitting on the edge of the pool of Maizono's bodily fluids.  
"Maizono-san, Maizono-san! Me o samashimasu! Onegaishimasu! Anata ga furi, tadashī koto suru ndesu ka?" Crawling forward as he pleaded, hands getting dirtied as well. He picked up the multilated corpse and cried out, tears streaking down his face as he did so.  
Suddenly, Leon turned his head, glaring at the unconscious body of Makoto. Dropping the body he was currently holding, he swiftly crawled over to him, yelling the words, "Kare wa sore o yarimashita! Kare wa kore o shimasendeshita! Kare wa Maizono-san o koroshimashita!"  
  
"Kuwata-kun wa, sore o teishi shimasu!" The harsh voice of Yui sounded out as she pushed him back from Makoto's body, with the help of Mondo and Sakura, "Sore wa kare no seidesu ka dō anata mo shirimasen!"  
  
While the two students argued, Angela had stepped over to Byakuya, asking if he was alright. All the boy did was translate for her, avoiding the question.  
  
"Who do you think could have done this...? I can't say I wasn't prepared for one of us to die, but...with this much damage dealt to her body, it's horrible..." She interjected after a while, not expecting a reply. However, the SHSL Heir's next words made the horror game enthusiast's blood run cold once more.  
  
"There's a cannibal on the lose. That's all there is to it."  
"A cannibal...?!"  
"Yes. A cannibal. I'm not going to repeat myself further. Ōi. Watashitachiha shuchō shi tsudzukeru tsumoridesu ka, wareware wa jimu ni watatte itte, kuma no tsugi no shiji o matsu tsumoridesu ka?"  
And with those words, Byakuya walked away, leaving the others in a state of horror and anger. Sakura picked up Makoto's limp body, and followed the blonde-haired boy, Aoi and Mondo following suit. Kyouko left soon after, then Celestia, Kyotaka, Chihiro, and finally Junko, leaving Angela, Yui, Hitoshi, and Leon behind.  
  
"<We'd better get going, I think.>" Hitoshi spoke up, eyes looking around nervously. Yui nodded, walking forward with Hitoshi trailing behind her. Angela took one last look at Leon, his eyes blank and unfocused. The girl swallowed, and walked over to the broken boy.  
"<Kuwata-kun. Let's go to the gym. We'll find the killer once Monokuma is done talking, ok?>" She asked him, and he looked up at her slowly, blinking a few times. He stood up shakily, leaning on Angela somewhat for support, then going over to the wall.  
"<Huh? Oh, sure. Yeah, let's go.>" He murmured, putting one foot in front of the other carefully, as if he was afraid he wouldn't be able to walk right.  
  
'He's in shock...someone just died horribly, after all...I'd better watch out to make sure he'll get there safely.' The horror game enthusiast thought to herself, following the SHSL All-Star closely. As they walked to the gym, Leon seemed to look better, the color going back into his face as he regulated his breathing.  
  
In his mind, however, Leon's thoughts got more and more clouded by despair, enveloping all hope that could have been hidden inside of him.  
  
  
 _(This is all that's left for me, isn't it? Despair...)_

  
STUDENTS LEFT:  
14/15  
Makoto Naegi  
Kyouko Kirigiri  
Byakuya Togami  
Junko Enoshima  
Aoi Asahina  
Sakura Oogami  
Mondo Oowada  
Kyotaka Ishimaru  
Leon Kuwata  
Chihiro Fujisaki  
Celestia Ludenberg  
Angela Scott  
Yui Suzuki  
Hitoshi Usagi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> "A body has been discovered! After a brief investigation period, there will be a class trial! Oh, and come to the Gym once you're all done registering the body." - Monokuma  
> "Holy shit! Maizono-san!" - Leon Kuwata  
> "Wake up! Please! You've got to be pretending, right?" - Leon Kuwata  
> "He did it! He did this! He killed Maizono-san!" - Leon Kuwata  
> "Kuwata-kun, stop it!" - Yui Suzuki  
> "You don't even know if it's his fault or not!" - Yui Suzuki  
> "Oi. Are we going to just keep arguing or are we going to go over to the Gym and await the bear's next instructions?" - Byakuya Togami


	10. Chapter 10

Angela and the others arrived at the Gym to see Monokuma was already waiting for them, doing a little jump rope with a line strung with fish on both ends. After everyone had filed into the room, he tossed the jump rope away, wiping off sweat as the fish flopped around.

"U~tsu! Sore wa yoi u~ōmuappudeshita! Sate sate, sonoyōni, saishūtekini satsujin jiken ga arimashita yo! Yoi, watashi wa koko no mawari no ikutsu ka no akushon o sanshō suru tame ni hitsuyōna! Dai dakara, saisho no mono--"

"Anata kuso yarō! Sore wa nani mo nakatta yō ni anata wa shinken ni dake Maizono-chan no shi o ofu ni furu tsumori sa rete imasu ka?!" Everyone turned towards the source of the outburst, namely, Leon. His face was red with anger, eyes still red from his tears. He pointed a finger at Monokuma, and continued.

"Boku wa sore wa, sore ga kanojo o koroshita anata ni attate inakatta kakemasu ka? Kireina, anata ga ki futan zehi!" All the monochrome teddy did at this was tilt his head and and hold up a paw to it's mouth, supposedly trying to imitate confusion. You could almost see a question mark floating above it's head.

"<As I was saying...>"

"<Don't ignore me!!>"

"Watashitachiha-tai o emashita. Mazu daiichi ni, kimitachi wa migi, kenshi o shitte iru hitsuyō ga arimasu ka? Sate, koko de anata ga ikimasu! Monokuma fairunanbāwan! Sore wa anata ga kono kēsu o shiru tame ni hitsuyōna subete ichiran hyōji sa remasu! Watashi wa subete no korera o tsūka shita nochi, watashi wa tsugi no bubun ni ikimasu yo!" It said this in a cheerful voice, as if excited to open a present on it's birthday. It walked to every student and handed them a tablet of sorts, to which the students scrolled through and made disgusted faces at.

When the bear reached Angela, it said, "This one's in English, just for you~!" with a heavy masculine-sounding accent, startling the bespectacled girl. She took the tablet from it, and scrolled through to see that it was, in fact, in English:

 

"MONOKUMA FILE NO. 1

Victim: Sayaka Maizono

The time of death was around 2:00 AM.

The body was found in Makoto Naegi's private dorm.The victim was killed in the main part of that room.

The cause of death is blood loss from excessive wounds made from a specially-crafted knife of some sort. Other than that, there are several bite marks, a knife wound in her chest, several missing internal and external organs, as well as missing muscle and skin tissues."

 

A diagram showing where the wounds were on Sayaka's body was shown just below that, the damaged areas marked in pink. It was enough to make the horror enthusiast feel sick. Sure, she saw lots of dead bodies in horror games, but...this was /reality/. Reality was a lot different than fiction.

"Ah-hem." Angela looked back up at the stage, as it seemed Monokuma was about to speak again.

"Ima, anata wa karada no shōsai o motte iru koto o, jissai no chōsa ga kaishi sa remasu! Wareware wa chokugo ni nokoshi, tsugini dare ka hokanohito no satsujin dareka o motte iru baai anata ga miru, soreha han'nin ga dare haaku suru amarini mo kantandarou! Īe, han'nin ga nokoshi yō ni suru tame ni, karera wa, kurasu shiken de mina o azamuku koto de sore o hanarete shutoku suruhitsuyōgāru tsumoridesu!"

"Saiban? Dare ga saiban ni tsuite nani o iimashita ka?" Junko shouted, pushing her way to the front. The other students murmured their assent, looking back up at Monokuma.

"Watashi wa sore ni tsuite nani o itte iru baai sate, anata wa kono sabaibarugēmu wa, saisho no basho de kaishi shi enakattadeshou! Kekkyoku, saiban o ushinau daredemo... Sonobade jikkō sa remasu! GYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

"<You're joking...right?>" Chihiro whispered, eyes tearing up slightly. Aoi went over to comfort the small girl, patting her back a few times.

"Dakara, anata wa subete ga onaji kurai suru koto ga dekimasu yō ni chōsa suru tame ni 1-jikan o motte imasu yo! Anata wa kono yōna baai ni yakudatsu kamo shirenai to omou nin'i oyobi subete no tegakari o mitsuke, saiban ga kuru toki, anata ga muzai ka yūzai o shuchō suru tame ni sore o saigomade tatakai nukudarou toki ni... Yoku, sorehadesu! Kokuhatsu-go no kokuhatsu! Aribai aruiwa mattaku aribai! Zetsubō tai negatte imasu! Tsumari, kurasu no shiken ga subete ni yaku aru monodesu! Upupupu... Anata wa yoi koto o anata no subete o ataeru, matawa girochin ni chokumen shite imasu! Ganbarou~"

The bear finished off with a back flip behind the podium, supposedly going off to wherever the stupid bear went when it wasn't talking to them.

"<Excuse me...but, doesn't the file say that the murder took place in Naegi's room?>" The question sounded out from in the back, where Celestia stood, examining the first Monokuma file. Instantly, everyone checked their own files, then turned to Naegi, looks of disgust apparent on their faces. Leon looked up at this statement, his face twisted into confusion instead.

"<But, that doesn't make any sense! See, this note--!>"

"<Oi, Naegi, you don't happen to have any thirst for flesh, do ya? Do YA?>" Mondo was red in the face, cracking his knuckles and frowning hard. Makoto shook his head rapidly, taking a step back, repeating

"<No, I'm telling you, that's not...!>" a few times.

"<Will you just listen to me, Oowada-kun-->"

"<Shut up! You said it yourself, he killed Maizono-san!>"

"This is foolish. Scott-san, you still don't know how to read in Japanese, do you? Besides the basics, I mean." Byakuya walked over to Angela, who was watching the fight with growing anxiousness. She looked over at the tall blonde, and nodded.

"Kuwata-kun said something about a note, though. I think...it might be important."

"Then let's go ask him. I do need someone to hold evidence, after all..." The boy walked away, leaving the foreigner to trail after him, muttering "Is that all I'm good for?" to herself. Mostly everyone had gone off to investigate, leaving Mondo, Leon, Makoto, and Hitoshi plus Byakuya and Angela still in the gym. Once they reached the quarrelling trio of boys, Byakuya tapped Leon on the shoulder and got his attention.

"<What do you need, Togami-kun?>" He said, turning to face the heir.

"<I want to ask you about that note you mentioned.>"

"<Ah, this?>" The red-head pulled out a wad of crumpled paper, and gave it to Byakuya. The blonde unfolded it and read, eyes widening a little bit in surprise.

"What does it say?"

"It says for Kuwata-kun to meet Maizono in her room. Apparently she wanted to talk to him about something. But...this sentence, 'make sure to check the nameplates'...Come, we're checking something on the dorms. Kuwata-kun, Boku wa kono-jō ni hoji sa remasu." The boy turned and walked off towards the entrance to the gym, Angela giving a quick apology to the baseball player and running after her companion.

 

STUDENTS LEFT: 14/15

Makoto Naegi

Kyouko Kirigiri

Byakuya Togami

Junko Enoshima

Aoi Asahina

Sakura Oogami

Mondo Oowada

Kyotaka Ishimaru

Leon Kuwata

Chihiro Fujisaki

Celestia Ludenberg

Angela Scott

Yui Suzuki

Hitoshi Usagi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. "Whoo! That was a good warm up! Alright, so, there's finally been a murder! Good, I needed to see some action around here! So, first things first--" - Monokuma  
> 2\. "You fucking bastard! Are you seriously gonna just wave off Maizono-chan's death like it was nothing?!" - Leon Kuwata  
> 3\. "I bet it was you who killed her, wasn't it? Come clean, you damn bear!" - Leon Kuwata  
> 4\. "[...]We got a body. First off, you guys need to know the autopsy, right? Well, here you go! Monokuma file number one! It lists all you need to know about this case! After I pass all these out, I'll go onto the next part!" - Monokuma  
> 5\. "Now that you have the details of the body, the real investigation begins! You see, if we had somebody murder somebody else then immediately leave afterwards, that would be way too easy to figure out who the culprit was! No, in order for the culprit to leave, they're gonna have to get away with it by deceiving everyone in the class trial!" - Monokuma  
> 6\. "Trial? Who said anything about a trial?" - Junko Enoshima  
> 7\. "Well, if I said anything about it then you wouldn't have gotten this survival game started in the first place! After all, whoever loses the trial...gets executed on the spot! GYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!" - Monokuma  
> 8\. "So, you'll all have one hour to investigate as much as you can! Find any and all clues you think may help you in this case, and when the trial comes...well, that's when you'll battle it out to claim innocence or guilt! Accusation after accusation! Alibi or no alibi! Hope vs. Despair! That's what the class trial is all about! Upupupu...you better give it your all, or face the guillotine! Good luck~" - Monokuma  
> 9\. "I'll be holding onto this." - Byakuya Togami


	11. Chapter 11

"<Hey sis, I gotta axe you a question.>"  
  
"<...What is it, ****?>"  
  
"<The fuck was with that display in the gym, huh?! You defy me but don't go all the way!! What the fuck is your problem, changing the script like that?!>"  
  
"<....Um...Actually....I kind of...>"  
  
"<What? Spit it out already! We don't want to be kept waiting, you know.>"  
  
"<I forgot my lines.>"  
  
"<...>"  
  
"<...>"  
  
"<Holy shit, ****-nee. You're even more pathetic than normal today. Siiiiiigh, I guess I'll just have to adjust my plans a bit...but you better make up for this, okay?! Just continue like normal for now, I'll find something for you to do soon.>"  
  
"<Yes, sister.>"  
  
"<...>"  
  
"<What a pain, I totally was all hyped for the despair of her death...but, then again...the despair of one of my plans being ruined is pretty nice too, I guess...>"  
  
"<...>"  
  
"<...I wonder if that was her plan all along? Heh, good 'ol ****-nee...>"

  
  
STUDENTS LEFT:  
14/15?  
Makoto Naegi

Kyouko Kirigiri  
  
Byakuya Togami

Junko Enoshima  
  
Aoi Asahina  
  
Sakura Oogami  
  
Mondo Oowada  
  
Kyotaka Ishimaru

Leon Kuwata  
  
Chihiro Fujisaki  
  
Celestia Ludenberg  
  
Angela Scott

Yui Suzuki

Hitoshi Usagi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here i am again after god knows how long, returning with this piece of self-indulgent crap
> 
> i hope you enjoy today's chapters, don't expect any more anytime soon!


	12. Chapter 12

"This is strange. Very strange." Byakuya mused, looking back and forth between the nameplate on Makoto's room and the student handbook. Or, well, what the student handbook labeled as Naegi's room. In reality, it seemed that Sayaka's nameplate was on there instead of his. There was no way to overlook this discrepancy. The truth was right in front of their faces.  
"Then, Naegi-kun really is innocent..." Angela murmured, eyes wide. Even after just this one piece of evidence, it was easy enough to see that the green-eyed boy really *was* telling the truth about his circumstances. Sayaka was trying to frame him for her own murder. But why?  
  
Angela thought back to how she witnessed Makoto and Sayaka interacting. It seemed that those two were budding lovers, not enemies. Well, at least Makoto seemed infatuated with her. She wasn't so sure about Sayaka. The idol was really nice whenever they talked, and her "social butterfly" personality was kind of endearing. The horror game enthusiast never would have though that the possibly sweetest out of all of them would be capable of that.  
  
Then again, neither did Makoto. Or anyone else for that matter.  
  
"We still need to find out why Maizono-san would frame Naegi-kun. There's no way she could have done this to herself..." Angela muttered, mostly to herself. Byakuya heard her, however, and smirked.  
"That's the question, isn't it? I think we should start looking for the answer in the cafeteria."  
"Huh? Why?"  
"Because what sort of chef serves their food raw?" With that, Byakuya walked off, leaving Angela suddenly very self aware of what she ate. And also trying to remember who served the food that morning. She lingered for a few moments more, before running after the young entrepreneur.  
  
Once at the cafeteria, Angela noticed Aoi talking about something with Sakura, pacing back and forth worriedly. Togami went over to interview them, leaving Angela to the kitchen. The foreigner walked through the doorway, and looked around.  
  
Numerous pots and pans hung about the walls, as with ladles, knives, and whisks. There was a section of the room that was dedicated to displaying all sorts of fresh produce, from gourds to vegetables like celery, carrots, and lettuce, to fruits likes tomatoes, strawberries, and pears. Spices like basil and curry lined the shelves, while the fridge was filled with frozen meats, eggs, and other ingredients of the sort. There was a tub of chocolate ice cream missing from the freezer, and a kitchen knife missing from the knife rack, but other than that everything was fi--  
  
Wait, what? There's a knife missing?  
Angela went back to the knife rack, and sure enough, there was a knife missing. A rather big one, at that. It seemed the knife before the biggest on the rack was missing. Odd. Angela made a mental note to tell that to Byakuya when someone tapped her on the shoulder.  
  
Yelping slightly and nearly jumping out of her skin, the foreigner whirled around to see Hitoshi looking at her worriedly.  
"<U-um...Usagi-kun...do you need something?>" She asked, stuttering a bit. The blacksmith smiled, seemingly placated at the fact she wasn't going to actually have a heart attack anytime soon.  
  
"<Well, Scott-san, you see...would you mind checking something with me for a bit? I don't want to go into a girl's room by myself, so...>" He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed, laughing a little. Angela smiled, giggling a bit herself.  
"<Sure. I have to inform Togami-kun of something first about the investigation. Could you wait a bit?>" Hitoshi nodded, and Angela walked out of the kitchen, nearly bumping into Byakuya, who was standing just outside. The horror enthusiast quickly notified the heir of the missing knife, and he paused to process the new info. After a moment, he nodded, and proceeded to tell Angela what he found:  
  
"It seems Kuwata-kun's testimony matches up. Asahina-san and Oogami-san met him in the hallway and convinced him not to visit Maizono-san after Oogami-san saw her take one of the knives. They obviously didn't say why he shouldn't visit her, I guess not to scare him or something, but he at least has an alibi nonetheless." He frowned, and muttered to himself, "<This still doesn't explain why she ended up dead though>."  
  
"<Maybe someone else took the initiative.>"  
  
Hitoshi walked out from the kitchen as well, leaning in the doorway. His face was serious, his eyes hard as steel. He continued at Byakuya's prompting.  
  
"<Think about it. Maizono-chan had that big freak out when she saw her motive, right? Somebody could have taken that as a sign of weakness. Make her easy to kill. Though obviously they ended up getting more than they bargained for, considering the whole 'class trial' thing.>" His expression quickly flipped, walking forwards and patting Angela on the shoulder.  
"<I'll meet you in front of Maizono-chan's room, okay? The one on the map. Not by nameplates.>" He walked out of the room shortly after, closing the cafeteria doors behind him. Angela quickly explained to Byakuya about the favor Hitsohi asked of her, and he nodded, shooing her. The foreigner quickly followed after the SHSL Blacksmith, finding Sayaka's room easily enough.  
  
Hitoshi was waiting there, a smile on his face. He waved her over, and Angela walked over briskly. Opening the door and stepping inside, the room of Sayaka Maizono...  
  
  
  
  
...looked like any old teenage girl's room. It was quite disappointing.  
  
"<Funny, I expected a bit more from Maizono-chan.>" Hitoshi murmured, scratching his cheeck with a finger absentmindedly. Angela shrugged.  
"<Same here, to be honest. But it's not time to talk about that now. Usagi-kun, how do you want to split this up? The search, I mean,>" the horror enthusiast said, and the blacksmith thought for a bit.  
"<Um, I guess you could check this side and I could check the other? That way you won't have to do as much work, sine you're a girl and all...>" The female's eye twitched.  
"<Excuse me?>"  
"<Hmm? Did I say something wrong?>"  
"<Girls can do as much work as any man, thank you very much! Why don't you check the bathroom then, and I'll check the main room.>" Hitoshi looked surprised at Angela's outburst, but shrugged and went with it, walking into the bathroom. The olive-skirted girl sighed, and began rummaging through the desk drawers.  
  
She found a pencil that looked recently used, and got a bit of an idea. Going over to the sketchpad, she lightly rubbed the pencil over the entire paper, going back and forth in smooth lines. A message began to appear, in what looked like Kanji. She eventually outlined it all, and cut out the bit with the message, putting it into her skirt pocket. Next, she looked under the bed, inside the closet and dresser, and in the trash bin, then re-checked all of those places, triple-checked, and turned up with nothing else of use.  
  
Hitoshi eventually gave up too, asking her if she had found anything of importance. Angela nodded, showing the clip of paper. His eyes widened, and took it gently, studying it for a minute.  
"<What in the world...why did she invite Kuwata-kun to her room?>"  
"<Is that what it says? That means Kuwata-kun's testimony is only even more validated. Naegi-kun would probably be glad to hear about this.>" Angela spoke, twisting some of her hair around her finger.  
  
"<Yes, I suppose. Maybe I should go tell him->"  
"DING DONG BANG BONG! Ahem! Chōsa jikan wa owarimashita! , Ikkai ni akai tobira no mae ni shūgō shite kudasai! Soko erebētā wa naibudeari, daremoga aru to, , ni akusesu shite kudasai! Sore wa saiban no heya ni iku koto ga dekimasu! Ā, anata to anata no shōko no subete o shite kudasai toru koto o wasurenaide kudasai. Ganbarou!" Just as quickly as it turned on, the monitor in Sayaka's room turned off, blinking out the image of the damned two-toned bear known as Monokuma. Anegla looked to Usagi for an explanation, but he only motioned for him to follow her. He stuffed the piece of paper in his apron pocket.  
  
As she followed him, Angela looked around for Byakuya. He was nowhere to be found at first, but he eventually showed up once they made it to the red-colored door in the hallway leading to the Gymnasium. She went over to him for an explanation, and he relayed a translation to her of the announcement.  
  
Finally, everyone had gathered, and the doors opened. The elevator inside was somewhat small, but big enough to fit fourteen people, thankfully. As the room shook from descending, Angela tried to convince herself everything would be okay.  
  
It didn't work too well.  
  
STUDENTS LEFT:  
14/15  
Makoto Naegi  
Kyouko Kirigiri  
Byakuya Togami  
Junko Enoshima  
Aoi Asahina  
Sakura Oogami  
Mondo Oowada  
Kyotaka Ishimaru  
Leon Kuwata  
Chihiro Fujisaki  
Celestia Ludenberg  
Angela Scott  
Yui Suzuki  
Hitoshi Usagi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not as many translations for this one, thank goodness:
> 
> 1\. "Ahem! Investigation time is now over! Please, assemble in front of the RED DOOR on the first floor! There is an elevator inside, and once everyone is there, please, go in! That will take you to the trial room! Oh, don't forget to take all of your evidence with you, please. Good luck!" - Monokuma  
> -  
> anyway, this is what you get instead of more pandorastuck. procrastination. and investigations. angela has more of a prominent role in this one, oddly enough. it seems she doesn't want to be in the background anymore, lol. poor little oc, the tragic life of a background character just doesn't live up to shine, does it? ;)
> 
> but seriously, im probably going to need to make her participate in the trial more, considering she has an important piece of evidence, anyway. but the other characters have collected stuff of their own, not just her! so we'll see. maybe angela will stay demoted to background character for a while longer? but i'm telling you, shits going to go down in the third arc. just you wait.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #Note: everything is in English for the trials to make things easier to understand.#

"<Welcome to the class trial! Now, just as a little once over for the rules, remember: In here, it is a matter of life or death that you don't mess up! Otherwise, you'll all be executed! However, if you manage to get the culprit right, then only the culprit will be executed, and you'll be free to return to your lives within this school! Are you all in your places? Great! Now let's get this thing ROLLING!>"  
Angela shifted uncomfortably at her stand, looking around the room. Most of her classmates were silent, just glaring/looking anxiously at Makoto. Byakuya, who was next to the horror enthusiast, cleared his throat, and began speaking to break the ice.  
  
"<So, what should we talk about first?>"  
"<It's already obvious who the culprit is! It's Naegi-kun, isn't it? Why don't we all vote and get this over with?>" Junko said, playing with her hair. Kyouko shook her head.  
"<No, Togami-kun's got a point. If we don't look over this case thoroughly, we might miss something. Even if the answer seems obvious, it might not be the case in reality. We must be careful, our lives are on the line after all.>"  
"<Here, here, I completely agree with Kirigiri-san. I've noticed a few off things about this case as well.>" Celes stated, smiling brightly. Kyotaka looked up.  
  
"<What do you mean? The evidence matches up, doesn't it?>"  
"<Fu fu fu, clearly you didn't look at it closely enough, Ishimaru-san. For starters, the nameplates on the rooms and the owners of each room on the map don't match up. You see, Naegi-kun and Maizono-san's nameplates were swapped.>" A chorus of voices filled the room at this relevation, but Mondo still looked unsure.  
  
"<But Naegi-kun still doesn't have an alibi, does he? **I mean, he slept in the same room as Maizono-san, right?** >"  
"<YOU'VE GOT THAT WRONG! Oowada-kun, remember what I said? I swapped rooms with Maizono-san. That's why I didn't know about her death. I doubt anyone could have slept through that, wake up, not notice her body laying there on the floor, and get ready for the day while still not noticing her. The smell would have been pretty hard to ignore, as well. Plus, Kuwata-kun got a note from her saying to go to 'her' room, right, Kuwata-kun?>"  
Mondo muttered something like "<Iunno, you're pretty oblivious Naegi-kun,>" at his statement, but all eyes turned to Leon nonetheless. The red-haired boy nodded.  
  
"<Yeah, I did. It's right here, actually. I don't think Naegi-kun's handwriting is this girly, do you?>" He said, holding up the note. A projector screen dropped down from the ceiling at that moment, zoomed-in on the note Leon held. Angela was just able to make out the Kanji:  
  
"<Kuwata-kun,  
Please come to my room tonight. I have something...'secret' I want to 'talk' to you about. Make sure not to tell anyone you're coming. Also, make sure to check the nameplates to get the right door. This meeting is just between us, okay~?  
  
-Maizono Sayaka>"  
  
Angela's face curled up in disgust. _Honestly, how could any woman purposely use themselves like that...? That's just wrong, but also...incredibly genius of her, as well. I'm not surprised Leon fell for that..._  
From the look on Makoto's face, he wasn't too pleased either. In fact, he looked downright appalled that the sweet idol would write something like that. Same with Kiyotaka, although he looked more confused than shocked.  
" <I don't get it. What was the secret that Maizono-san wanted to tell Kuwata-kun?>" He asked, and Junko leaned over and whispered in Kyotaka's ear. He immediately turned beet red and started sputtering.  
"<I, for one, am not surprised that Kuwata-kun fell for an obvious ploy like that. However, what I am curious about is how you managed to escape the killer's grasp. Or, rather, Maizono-san's grasp.>" Celeste stated, curling a piece of hair around her finger. Leon frowned and scratched his head, looking embarrsedly to the side.  
  
"<Actually, I know the reason for that. Tell them, Naegi.>" Byakuya huffed, looking pointedly at Makoto, who scratched his cheek with a finger. Angela looked at Byakuya, wondering why he told Naegi to tell the class for them without bothering to himself. _Unless...is he testing Naegi-kun?_  
" <Ah...it's because of what Oogami-san told us in her testimony, right? She was with Asahina-san in the kitchen, and...>"  
"<Wait, Oogami-san is a female? I am so sorry!>" A surprised Kiyotaka exclaimed, making everyone else who didn't realize exclaim as well. For her part, Sakura didn't look too pissed off about it.  
  
"<Yes, I am a woman. But that doesn't matter right now. What Naegi-kun said is true, while Asahina-san and I were in the kitchen we witnessed Maizono take one of the knives from the kitchen. Asahina-san was the one who pointed it out, and my idea to follow her secretly. When we noticed her slip the note under Kuwata-kun's door -- I suppose she swapped the nameplates beforehand -- we decided to wait and warn him for when he came out. I suppose the killer must have overheard us somehow, and so came prepared to deal with her.>"  
A heavy silence fell over the trial room. The foreigner bit her lip, looking down slightly. _To think_ , Angela thought, _if Asahina-san hadn't noticed the missing knife, then Maizono might still be standing here, with Kuwata-kun as the dead student._ She shuddered. _Really, this all could have turned out differently._  
  
" <So I suppose that really does rule out Naegi-kun. Geez, man, sorry I got all up in your face.>" Mondo said, rubbing the back of his neck. Makoto smiled and shook his head.  
"<No, it's not your fault. If I was in your position, I would have done the same thing.>"  
"<Well, even though that's all settled with, we still have no clue who the killer is! All we really accomplished was rule out a few suspects...but it's still not enough to make much of a difference.>" Yui said, placing her hands on the stand in front of her. She looked up, her eyes sharp.  
"<All right, if any of you have any clues, say them now! Even if you think it's insignificant!>" She shouted, but nobody answered. Angela, however, was thinking overtime.  
/Even if it's insignificant? Let me think...what could I possibly have overlooked? What small detail could hopefully solve this case?/ She wondered, chewing her thumbnail. /Think, think, think! Think about last night, before we all went to bed...and this morning, too! At breakfast, before everything went wrong... what stood out to you the most?/  
  
**[E] [M] [P] [T] [Y]  [P] [L] [A] [T] [E]**  
  
" <Wait, that's right! Usagi-kun, I need to ask you something!>" Angela spoke up, surprising a few people. She turned to the blue-haired boy, who smiled at her. His golden eye shone brightly, and he swept a few strands of hair away from his eyepatch.  
"<Yeah, Scott-san? Is something wrong?>"  
"<Umm...forgive me in advance, but...aren't you hungry?>"  
Hitoshi's face only showed confusion. A few others looked confused as well.  
"<Um, no. Why? That's kind of out of the blue.>"  
"<Well, you barely ate anything last night or this morning. Unless you've eaten something between then and now, you should still be hungry, right?>" Hitoshi stiffened for a millisecond, something that most wouldn't notice, but to Angela's perceptive eyes it told her everything. He quickly recomposed himself, a guarded smile worming it's way onto his face.  
"<Scott-san, are you accusing me of murder based on /that/?>"  
"<That's not all. On the Monokuma file, it said she was mainly cut up by a specially-crafted knife, right? Probably one that would be best suited for cutting into human flesh and/or harvesting organs. The last time I checked, the only one capable of creating such a knife is you, the SHSL Blacksmith. Unless someone else confesses to being able to wield metal as expertly as you could, I can't think of anyone else it could be.>"  
A few murmurs of ascent rose up around the room, and Aoi stepped slightly away from the direction Hitoshi's stand was in. His face darkened, and the boy grit his teeth.  
"<You know, Scott-san, you're walking into dangerous territory here. Are you sure that you want to keep accusing me?>"  
"<You're not making a case for yourself, either. And it's not like you have an alibi.>"  
  
Hioshi smiled suddenly, and looked over to Junko.  
"<Actually, I do. Enoshima-san and I ran into each other last night in the hallway. Right?>"  
Junko startled, as if she was shaken out of a daydream. "<Eh? What'd you say? Sorry, wasn't paying attention.>"  
"<Enoshima-san, you and I met in the hallway last night, right? You asked me what I was doing out so late, and I told you that I had heard some noises outside my room and went to go take a look. You were acting kind of weird, so I didn't stay to chat long, and I went straight to my room after that.>" Hitoshi explained, kind of matter-of-factly. Kyouko looked up at his statement.  
"<What do you mean, Enoshima-san was acting weirdly?>"  
Hitoshi paused, casting a look at Junko. "<Well, it was kind of like she was a completely different person. Her voice sounded different, and she kept changing her behavior rapidly. Like, she would be kind of angry and loud one moment, then super depressed another, and then she sometimes acted all cutesy. It really weirded me out, so I left as quickly as I could.>"  
  
A few gazes drifted from Hitoshi to Junko, making the strawberry-blonde squirm a bit. Looking to the side, she rubbed the back of her hand and muttered, "<I don't remember anything like that. I have no idea what you're talking about.>"  
Hitoshi frowned, narrowing his eyes. "<Really? Because I certainly am sure that I met you last night. I mean, it's not like you have some sort of doppelganger running around, right?>" He laughed, and Junko paled slightly. It seemed like nobody noticed her reaction, though, with the exception of Kyouko narrowing her eyes a little.  
"<Enoshima-san, after this trial, presuming we make it out alive, as I'm sure we will, I would like to talk to you in private.>" The purple-haired girl spoke, to which Junko laughed nervously.  
"<Either way, I'm feeling inclined to believe you about not meeting Usagi-kun at night. Especially considering Usagi-kun's rather...'different' description of your character. However, that being said, I do also think Usagi-kun met someone at night. Whether or not it was really you is not important, but rather what exactly he lied about in his alibi.>" Kyouko continued, "<Although, Enoshima-san, if you really did meet with Usagi-kun then I suggest you speak up now.>"  
  
The room grew quiet after her words, tension filling the air as everyone waited for Junko to confirm or deny Hitoshi's testimony. After a while, Junko finally spoke.  
"<...No,>" The fashionista began, her words growing more confident as she continued, "<No, I did not meet Usagi-kun. I was in my room the whole time. I mean, I wasn't stupid enough to break the promise we all made about not going out at night. It's, like, just asking to get killed or whatever.>" Angela did not miss the look of betrayal that flitted across Hitoshi's face, nor did Makoto, Kyouko, or basically anyone who was paying enough attention to Hitoshi's reaction at the time. Byakuya smirked, his smugness practically radiating off of him.  
"<I suppose that settles it then. Usagi-kun, you murdered Maizono-san, and that's that.>" The heir spoke, which made Hitoshi glare at him.  
"<Seriously? Just because Enoshima-san decided not to admit she met me in the hallway for whatever reason, you automatically decide I'm the murderer? That feels like a really flimsy reason, if you ask me.>"  
  
"<It's not just some 'flimsy reason' if it's the actual truth of the matter. I believe that enough of us trust Enoshima-san not to lie about something like that, and I have no reason to argue against that. The fact of the matter is, you are so obviously guilty, that I cannot possibly be alone in having seen it coming from a mile away, given how you've conducted yourself during the investigation and throughout this trial.>" Byakuya went on to say, causing Hitoshi to glare harder, his mouth twisting into a snarl.  
"<Even if I was the culprit, I don't even have a motive! Why in the world would I kill someone like Maizono-san? **If you can't come up with a reason for me to do that, then you don't have any real proof at all!** >"  
  
"<YOU'VE GOT THAT WRONG!>" Makoto shouted, causing Hitoshi to blink in surprise. "<Togami-kun actually mentioned to me before the trial something you said yourself, when you were investigating the kitchen with Scott-san and Togami-kun. You apparently mentioned that, I quote, 'Maybe someone took the initiative. That someone could have taken Maizono-san's freakout as a sign of weakness.' That right there is enough of a motive for someone to want to kill her. After all, when we all went to the A/V room to watch to motive disks, Maizono-san had a really bad reaction to hers in front of everybody. Nobody missed how she broke down. Not even you.>" Makoto looked at the ground as he said this, his hands balled up into fists. His shoulders trembled, and Angela reminded herself that Makoto was close to Sayaka even before they all got trapped in this hell hole of a school.  
  
Hitoshi, on the other hand, had slipped into a completely blank expression. Apparently, he couldn't even come up with a counter to that. This firmly cemented without a doubt in Angela's mind that Hitoshi had to be guilty. It made her stomach twist, especially considering how nice Hitoshi had been, whenever he interacted with her. For someone like that, to turn out to be a cannibal...  
And yet, here the evidence was, right in front of her. There was no refuting it. Glancing at Hitoshi once more, she was surprised to she him holding a hand up to his head, sighing and shaking his head.  
"<I really can't beat you, huh? If I even try to deny it now, I'm just going to look more guilty. Fine,>" He stated, before his entire demeanor suddenly changed. In an instant, it was almost like somebody else had taken Hitoshi's place. The cyan-haired blacksmith put both hands on the railing of his podium, leaning forward with a sinister grin, one befitting a villain from a slasher flick. His single golden eye snapped wide open, even as his tone of voice darkened. "<I admit it. I did it. I killed Maizono-san.>"  
  
"<Why? Why would you do such a thing? Why would you do something like eating her remains?!>" Leon yelled, face red with fury. Aoi edged farther away from the side of her podium that neighbored Hitoshi's, while Mondo and Sakura looked about ready to punch him. Kiyotaka and Junko looked almost shell-shocked at the confession, and Celes brought a hand up to her mouth, although Angela could see the corners of her lips slightly twitch upwards. Yui and Chihiro looked sick, Kyouko looked indifferent, while Byakuya looked smug and Makoto looked incredibly distraught. Angela felt the same as Makoto, and almost wanted to vomit like Chihiro looked like she was about to. _Why would anyone do anything like that?_ The horror enthusiast thought, but as she did so it seemed like Hitoshi was about to give her her answer.  
  
" <Ah, well, first off, I'm not the SHSL Blacksmith. Technically, there's already someone with that title. I heard he got expelled, though, so it was easy for me to infiltrate the school using his mantle. In reality, I'm the SHSL Cultist.>" Hotoshi explained, looking altogether unbothered by what he said. Aoi slid even closer to Mondo than Angela thought was possible at this point, with Mondo looking like he wanted nothing more than to trade places with Aoi so he could beat the living crap out of Hitoshi.  
  
"<My cult, aptly named the Flesh Cult might I add, believes in the possibility of reaching new heights, pushing beyond the limits of what most think the human body is even capable of doing. To go beyond our fragile human limits, reaching something akin to the level of what one might call a god. Of course, getting to that point takes years and years, but it is still achievable as long as one casts away their humanity and partakes in the most forbidden of all sins: The consumption of another human being's flesh. Maizono-san, as nice a girl she may be, was only a stepping stone to help reach that point that all of us in the Flesh Cult hope to one day achieve. I figured that, if I added what I consumed from her to my already rather large stockpile of power, I might be able to break us all out of here with my strength. Of course, upon hearing about the class trial and all that, I knew it wouldn't be possible. At the very least, I had to get myself out alive, if only for the continuation of my Cult.>" Hitoshi explained, closing his eye and sighing. Shrugging his shoulders, the insane student mused, "<I suppose all of my efforts will have gone for naught, though. I guess I wasn't as focused on the damage control as I should have been.>"  
  
Angela, along with much of the rest of the class, balked at the explanation. The only thought running through the olive-skirted girl's mind was--  
"<You actually believe that crap?!>" Mondo yelled, clenching his fist. His expression was downright murderous, and honestly, Angela couldn't blame him. Even Byakuya seemed caught off-guard by the revelation of Hitoshi's motives.  
Hitoshi, however, was undeterred by Mondo's outburst. In fact, he only looked more excited. "<I don't merely believe it, Oowada-kun. _I've seen it._ Even the current leader of the Flesh Cult, my uncle, has already become more powerful than you could possibly imagine. He once felled a hundred trees with one swipe of his hand! If I'm ever to get on his level, every sacrifice I've ever made was absolutely necessary in order to achieve that goal. It really is a shame, though, that I'm to die without even coming close. >" Hitoshi sighed once more, suddenly downcast. Angela found it very hard to sympathize with him, considering what he did and all he had done.  
  
"<My my, you really are a piece of work, aren't you? I suppose all that brainwashing your uncle has put you through must really have been thorough.>" Celes giggled, causing Leon and Kiyotaka to glare at her. She merely hummed in response, folding her hands under her chin. "<Well, I'm not wrong, am I?>"  
  
"<Aaaaaaanyway, it seems you guys have it all figured out! No more need for that creep-o to continue on with his creepy backstory for his creepy cult of creepy people! So, go on ahead! Use those switches to cast -  your - votes!>" Monokuma interrupted, jumping up and doing a twirl in his chair. As the class voted, all was silent except for Hitoshi's humming -- Canon in D Major, Angela realized. _Not super fitting, in my opinion,_ she thought, her expression grim.  
  
" <Yahoo! It seems everyone has finished voting! Leeeeeet's see the results!>" Monokuma finally said after everyone had finished, and a projector screen dropped down from the ceiling, showing what looked like a slot machine with everyone's faces on it spinning through all the different possibilities until it dropped onto the one that everyone knew was correct: Hitoshi Usagi. At reaching three in a row of his face, the slot machine's screen lit up, the bright red words "GUILTY" scrolling across the digital screen on the machine, with a huge payout of some sort of coin with Monokuma's face on them gushing from it. Then, the projector screen rolled back up into the ceiling again.  
  
"<Yep! You got it right! The absolute creep-o who creepily ate Maizono-san in a really creepy way with his creepy knives made for doing that exact sort of creepy thing was none other than the member of the uber creepy cult, Usagi Hitoshi-san! Wow, reaaaaaal shocker, huh? I'm sooooooo surprised! Who would have thought, you know? It's not like he got much screentime until this part of the story anyway, LOL.>" The two-toned bear announced, doing a little dance. Angela didn't really know what it meant by "screentime," as she had certainly interacted with Hitoshi before and he never really gave her the kind of vibe that he would so this sort of thing, but she elected to ignore the bear. It was probably just talking nonsense, anyway.  
  
Hitoshi seemed resigned to the fact that he was about to die, or rather, it didn't look like he cared at all. Leon was glaring at Hitoshi with all he had, probably thinking that the SHSL Cultist deserved it (which he definitely did, no doubt about that), and Kyouko studying the eyepatch-wearing boy with an intense expression. Sakura was holding onto Aoi, who was clinging pretty tightly to Sakura in turn, and Chihiro was being comforted by Mondo of all people. Kiyotaka was stony-faced, looking down at the ground, probably feeling like he had failed in some way. Yui was looking torn between going after Makoto (who was sulking by himself) or talking with Junko about all of this. Celes was by herself as well, seemingly interested in what sort of "punishment" Hitoshi would be given.  
  
Just as quickly as the outcome of the vote was reached, Monokuma sprang into action. He took out a gavel from...somewhere, and slammed it onto a big red button that was raised up out of the floor. Once he hit the button, a small, pixel screen played a sort of animation of sorts, showing a pixel avatar of Hitoshi getting dragged off by another pixel of Monokuma. Underneath, there were white words displayed. They read:  
  
"USAGI HITOSHI HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. PUNISHMENT WILL NOW COMMENCE."  
  
As soon as the animation finished playing, a chain shot out from a part of the court room, from behind a wall that had been raised up as to let people through. It dragged Hitoshi off, and the rest of the students quickly followed.  
  
Hitoshi was lying on an operating table, wrists and ankles clamped on with metal bars of sorts. Even while lying there, Hitoshi looked perfectly calm, eyes closed and a serene smile on his face. A bunch of Monokumas walked over to the table, wearing hooded robes of some sort in a white and red color scheme. On the chest, there was a flat-colored symbol of some sort of horned creature not unlike a goat of sorts stitched on in a darker red. They were the robes of Hitoshi's cult, the Flesh Cult. One of the robed Monokumas was holding some sort of book, bound in what looked like many different shades of skin.  
It began reciting something from the book, except it was hard to hear the words, having been spoken in a low, soft voice. Once it was done reading, the Monokuma snapped the book shut, and raised a paw into the air. The other robed Monokumas took out various types of knives, saws, axes, and other sorts of cutting implements and raised them over Hitoshi's prone form, as if readying themselves for a strike.  
Hitoshi still looked calm, even as his impending doom became even more apparent. Suddenly, however, just as the leader Monokuma was about to swing its arm down, Hitoshi's eyes snapped open, and he grinned savagely. He pulled at his metal restraints around his wrists, and they shattered, and Hitoshi did the same with the bars around his ankles.  
  
Sliding off the table, Hitoshi pushed some of the robed Monokumas out of the way, even though the leader Monokuma started waving his arms frantically, in an attempt to get the other robed Monokumas to chase after him. Just as it seemed Hitoshi would reach the exit, however...  
  
  
  
  
Blood spurted from both his back and his chest, getting on Hitoshi's cheeks and clothes. Several of the weapons the robed Monokumas had were sticking out of his torso, having gone all the way through when the Monokumas threw them at him. Hitoshi fell to his knees, grinning all the way down, even as he collapsed onto the ground and bled out completely.  
  
The execution was over.  
The murderer was dead.  
  
  
STUDENTS LEFT:  
13/15  
Makoto Naegi  
Kyouko Kirigiri  
Byakuya Togami

Junko Enoshima  
Aoi Asahina  
Sakura Oogami  
Mondo Oowada  
Kiyotaka Ishimaru  
Leon Kuwata  
Chihiro Fujisaki  
Celestia Ludenberg  
Angela Scott  
Yui Suzuki

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAAA FINALLY. after so much procrastination, writers block, and just flat out *not having time to do it,* this chapter is finally complete!!!
> 
> I think the main thing, honestly, was figuring out how to write Hitoshi's reveal and his execution. Even now, I don't feel like I did a good enough job, but I'm just so done with this chapter that i'm publishing it anyway.
> 
> Make no mistake. I *know* how this fic is going to all pan out. I have all the murders down and everything. I just need to actually write it all. Ughhhhhh.
> 
> Anyway, there's either going to be an interlude next or I might just skip straight to the second arc. I'm not sure yet. Either way, I hope you enjoy this chapter that took a BAJILLION YEARS to come out.


	14. Interlude 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i ended up going through with the interlude after all. i hope this sheds a bit more light onto how different Hitoshi's character could have been had he somehow kept his memories pre-despair. character development is a thing, guys!
> 
> even if it only happened in the past.
> 
> i might make a few more of these, hence the "interlude 1" chapter title. i know i have one more that's for sure happening in the future, but i'm debating whether or not to put one before that second interlude. oh, well, we'll see in time.

Hitoshi Usagi sighed, running his hands through his hair. Looking in the mirror of his dorm room, he tried to fix up his appearance a bit more, but ultimately decided to just go with what he looked like currently. Even if there were still a few stray hairs, Hitoshi thought he looked nice enough to make a good impression, at the very least.  
  
Holding his fist in front of him, he nodded. Today, he was finally going to do it. Today, he would finally ask out _that girl_ he liked!  
Of course, he wasn't without any ulterior motives. As the heir apparent of the Flesh Cult, he would need to find a suitable candidate to eventually marry and birth an heir of his own. Someone who would be receptive to the Cult's ways. Who cold easily be manipulated if need be. Although....  
  
...Hitoshi didn't actually care about that very much. _That girl,_ he knew, wouldn't dare go within five-hundred meters of him if she knew about the Cult he was a part of. If she knew what he did. She would only look upon him with disgust and anger, never to return his feelings. In truth, his motives were different, because the blue-haired boy didn't want that, to be looked at like some monster, and so he decided to do something drastic instead.  
  
He would run away with her. Run away from the Cult, from his old life, from his cannibalistic tendencies. It would be worth it, if only to see the smile on her face.  
Hitoshi knew, deep inside, that he was being completely selfish and not just a little over the top. This was just some teenage romance, never to bloom into fruition. Already, the chances of _that girl_ liking him back were small, and if she ever found out about what he did, those chances would become infinitely smaller. But, he had to try. Just this once. Maybe, just maybe, he could have a normal life, just like his classmates, be able to laugh and smile without the pressure of upholding his uncle's Cult bearing down on his shoulders.  
  
Hitoshi didn't always used to think like this. In truth, he had been relatively isolated before being accepted into Hope's Peak. He never had any close friends, he never went to any parties, never did any after-school activities, and basically everything he did outside of school was dedicated to his Cult. His childhood could not be called normal, and entering into Hope's Peak and enrolling there only proved to show that to him, that his situation just might not be...well, _good._ That being there, in the Cult, was actually quite horrible and fucked up, and that maybe what Hitoshi really needed was to be free from that.  
  
That's why, he decided, he would allow himself this one chance. To ask out _that girl,_ currently his only hope for freedom, if she accepted. If he couldn't get her to like him, to receive a "yes" instead of being rejected, then Hitoshi would have to look for another way. He was the type of person to stubbornly stay on the path he decided to pick out for himself, and if he couldn't escape with _that girl's_ help, then he would find someone else to help him.  
  
He would take every chance he could get, when the opportunity arose for it. That's how desperate Hitoshi Usagi had become.  
  
After all, even the SHSL Cultist was not without his fears and doubts.  
  
Hitoshi shook his head. Those thoughts could be entertained another time. Instead, the blue-haired boy walked out of his bathroom, out of his dorm room, and on the way towards the room of _that girl_. Once he arrived, he fixed his clothes a bit, smoothing out the wrinkles, cleared his throat, and knocked.  
  
Angela Scott opened the door, and smiled at the sight of Hitoshi standing there. It made his heart skip a couple of beats.  
"Ah, Usagi-kun. What do you need?" She asked, in near-perfect Japanese, tucking some hair behind her ear. Her lessons had been going quite well, it seemed, although with the SHSL Linguist on the case it wasn't that much of a surprise.  
  
"Ah, Scott-san. I was wondering, um..." _Come on, Hitoshi, you can do it. Go on, ask her!_ "Would you like to go see a movie with me this weekend? There's a few interesting ones playing soon, so I figured..."  
Predictably, Angela's face flushed bright crimson. Hitoshi could tell he was blushing pretty hard, too, and looked away, embarrassed. Angela seemed to be trying to get her bearings, however, as she rubbed at the silver ring on her finger.  
  
Hitoshi, secretly, had always wondered where that ring had come from. She told him that it wasn't an engagement ring, but rather a gift from a friend, or something. The most intriguing part about it, though, was probably the mysterious runes etched onto the sides. He had tried to look them up, before, but found no sort of match anywhere. Not even the library of Hope's Peak Academy, of all things, contained any sort of clue. It made the secret SHSL Cultist wonder if maybe it was some sort of language she had made up with her friend, but never really asked about it. Angela seemed to be kind of a private person, so he decided to let it slide.  
  
"U-um...Usagi-kun, I-I'm flattered, really..." Angela started, and Hitoshi felt his stomach sink. _There's a 'but' in there, isn't there?_ He thought dejectedly.  
"B-but...I...I'm sorry, I can't. I just...I really, really can't, I...I have a lot of important stuff I have to get done on weekends, especially nights, s-so..." Angela finished, looking at the ground sadly. She bowed in apology, mumbling that she was sorry several times, but Hitoshi shook his head and smiled sadly.  
  
"It's okay, Scott-san. I understand. You have to work that part-time job, right? Well, if you're ever available, let me know and maybe we can do something together sometime. Doesn't have to be a date, if you're not interested." Hitoshi replied, and Angela softly smiled herself.  
"I...I think I would like that. I...still want to be your friend, after all, even if I don't return your feelings. So...I'll let you know if I can ever get any afternoons free. We can maybe do something with Suzuki-san, or Nakazawa-kun, you're friends with them, right?" Hitoshi nodded, feeling a bit lighter. After all, even if Angela didn't return his affections, he could at least stay friends with her. That was better than nothing. And, who knows? Maybe inviting Yui and Chion along would be fun. They could probably even bring Takara if she wasn't too busy with her job as a radio host.  
  
"That sounds great. Well, I suppose I'll leave you to it then." Just as he began to turn around, Hitoshi had a thought, and turned back. "By the way, if you don't mind me asking, I just remembered. You were having a bit of trouble with one of the upperclassmen, right?" Angela stiffened, but slowly nodded.  
  
"You don't need to worry about it, Usagi-kun. I'll be fine. I can handle it on my own, so...really, there's no need for you to get involved!" The olive-skirted girl hastily said, waving her hands in front of her. Hitoshi narrowed his eyes, not buying it for a second.  
Sighing, however, he relented. "Just, if it ever gets too out of control, you can count on me, you know that, right?" Hitoshi asked, and Angela nodded, looking relieved that he didn't push the issue further.  
  
"It'll be fine. I...I doubt that Senpai would go that far. Yeah, he isn't that kind of person. If anything, I think...it's probably his own way of helping, even if it doesn't really help. E-either way! It's getting late, and there's curfew in effect, so you should hurry on and get to bed. After all that happened with Kuzuryuu-chan, it would really suck if anyone else got hurt." Angela said quickly, pushing him towards his room. Hitoshi laughed, even as he noticed the fact that it sounded like Angela was trying to convince herself of something, but nodded and waved goodbye.  
  
Back in his room, Hitoshi sighed, knowing that despite the fact that one of his chances for escape was crushed, at the very least it wasn't a total loss. Besides, that avenue could always be opened again as they grew closer together. Another chance could be opened to him.  
  
And in time, a chance did present itself. It would only be temporary, until _that crisis_ passed, and would eventually lead only to disaster. Hitoshi did not know this, however, and welcomed the chance with open arms. Even as the doors were sealed, the windows bolted, and cameras secured, Hitoshi never stopped believing that he had made the right choice in the end. The only indication that something _wrong_ had happened in this supposedly safe-haven was when the knockout gas started seeping in.  
  
Hitoshi panicked, and drew upon his inner power to resist the gas as much as possible. He stumbled through the hallways, trying to find _that girl_ before she fell asleep, just like the others. He eventually found her, slumped against the wall outside of the dorms, and Hitoshi went to her, laying her head against his chest, protecting her with his body should any bullets start to fire from the guns of SHSL Despair.  
  
Shortly after, he passed out. Whether it was because he could resist no more, or because of a hit to the back of the head, only one knew but wouldn't tell. Hitoshi's efforts at protecting his friend were fruitless, because in the end the danger they faced was not from bullets, or swords, or from punches that hit like trucks or even from animals tearing them apart.  
  
It was from losing the memories of their precious friends, their lives of two years before, and the reasons for why some acted differently now instead of how they acted back then. Even if, in the end, it was for the better in some cases, new relationships forming out of the need to achieve a mutual goal rather than being forced apart because of previous, unhealthy interactions, it was still a great loss for all involved, even if there were only two now that remembered it at all.  
  
_Still,_ Mukuro Ikusaba mused, looking upon the sleeping forms of one olive-skirted girl and one blue-haired boy, _you have to admit, like this, it's almost peaceful. Like there was no suffering at all._  
  


  
INTERLUDE END.


End file.
